This invention relates to plastic composites and more particularly to plastic composites having one or more colors or multiple congruent layers formed by injection molding.
Various proposals have been suggested and practiced for the manufacture of plastic composites for use as automotive interior trim and exterior trim products.
One approach is to form metal or plastic substrates and applying multiple coatings thereon to produce a high gloss class A surfaced part. The substrates can be formed from steel, or anyone of a wide range of known plastic materials such as ABS, L ABS, ABS/PC blends, PU, TPO, PET, PBT or other equivalent high strength plastic material suitable for injection molding of a product shape. The coatings for such substrates may be selected from known coatings such a primer coat, an adhesion promoter, a base coat and a clearcoat, and in the case of metals, an electrodeposition coat. Examples of such coatings are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,681,811 and 5,320,869. The solvents used in such systems can cause undesirable emission problems.
Another approach is to form a paint film and inject polymeric material behind the paint film to produce a part with a desired color match on its exposed class A surface. Examples of known paint film and injection molded plastic parts are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,432,666 and 5,009,821. Such systems require the separate manufacture and handling of the film. Furthermore, the film is at times difficult to shape depending upon the contour of the part being produced.
Still another approach to providing a colored plastic part is to provide an enamel coating that will reduce emissions while producing a crater resistant surface on the part being coated. One such system is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,680. Such systems require use of conventional coating systems and baking ovens to form a finish on the substrate that has the desired appearance.
Yet another approach is to provide laminating equipment in which a color layer is formed by extrusion and then connected to a substrate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,349,592 discloses the use of such technique in the manufacture of a decorative molding exterior trim part.
Still another approach is to form amber-red-clear tail lamp housings by progressive molding a large clear housing and depositing smaller non-congruent red and amber layers thereon.
While the various methods are suitable for their intended purpose, they all involve processing considerations that either produce emissions or require unnecessary handling of one or more layers of material in the manufacture of a composite exterior or interior trim product having a desired class A type surface appearance color matched to adjacent vehicle components.
Thus, there is a continuing need in this field or art for an article and its method of manufacture that will obviate the above problems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a colored plastic composite multi-layered injection molding system.
Another object is to provide such a colored plastic composite having first and second layers of injection molded material in a common cavity and arranged in overlying relationship to form a base layer and a top layer that covers the base layer without removal from a tool and wherein the top layer constitutes a finished surface covering of the composite in which the base layer comprises injection molded polymeric material having colors blended therein and the top layer comprises injection molded polymeric material with or without light reflective particles embedded therein for changing the color effect of said colors when the composite is viewed from different angles.
Still another object of the invention is to provide such a colored plastic composite having first and second layers of injection molded material in overlying relationship to form a base layer and a top layer that covers the base layer without removal from a tool and wherein the top layer constitutes a finished surface covering of the composite in which the base layer comprises injection molded polymeric material having colors blended therein from the group consisting of pigments and/or dyes and/or light reflective particles and wherein the top layer is injection molded clear polymeric material.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a colored plastic composite having first and second layers of injection molded material in directly molded relationship to form a base layer and a top layer without removal from the tool that covers the base layer and wherein the top layer constitutes a finished surface covering of the composite and the base layer comprises injection molded polymeric material having particles blended therein comprising either or both pigments or dyes and with or without light reflective particles embedded therein and the top layer of injection molded material is a polymeric material for protecting the base layer.
Another object of the invention is to provide a colored plastic composite having a base layer, an intermediate layer and a top layer that covers the base layer and the intermediate layer and wherein the top layer constitutes a finished surface covering of the composite wherein the base layer comprises injection molded polymeric material having colors blended therein; the intermediate layer comprises injection molded polymeric material having light reflective particles embedded therein for changing the color effect when the composite is viewed from different angles and the top layer injection molded polymeric material.
A further object is to provide the colored plastic composite of the preceding object wherein the protective top layer is a clear polymeric material; or a polymeric injection molded material having an exterior glossy surface with a D.O.I. (distinctness of image) reading in the range of 75-100.
According to the invention another object is to provide a process for manufacturing a multi-layer composite product of injection molded plastic comprising providing a moveable mold part and a plurality of stationary mold parts of congruent shape; sequentially moving the moveable mold part with respect to the stationary mold parts to form one or more mold cavities of progressively greater capacity between the mold parts and injecting at least one layer of polymeric material into one of the mold cavities to produce an enhanced colored appearance on the viewing surface of the composite product.
Another object is to provide such a process wherein a cover layer is injected into one or more of the mold cavities by providing polymeric material having colors blended therein to provide a colored appearance in the injection molded composite product.
Still another object is to provide such a process further comprising providing polymeric material with or without light reflective particles embedded therein and injecting it into one of the mold cavities.
Yet another object is to provide such a process of further comprising injecting into one of the mold cavities polymeric material having either or both colored pigments or dyes and light reflective particles blended therein.
Still another object is to provide such a process further comprising injecting polymeric material with colored pigments or dyes into one of the cavities and injecting polymeric material with light reflective particles therein for changing the color effect of said colored pigments or dyes when the composite is viewed from different angles.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide such a process further comprising injecting polymeric material into the mold cavities for covering the polymeric material injected in progressively increasing volume mold cavities of congruent shape.
Another object is to provide such a process further comprising injecting a covering of polymeric material into one of the mold cavities and injecting polymeric material having colors or dyes into one of the mold cavities to form a congruent layer of material against the covering.
Another object of the invention is to provide such a process including providing more than one rotational mold halves and providing more than one stationary mold sections of congruent shape and providing progressively greater capacity mold cavities by varying dimensions of the stationary mold sections.
Still another object is to provide the process of the preceding object by wherein the rotational mold halves and stationary mold sections are respectively provided as mold covers and mold cores.
Yet another object is to provide the process of the preceding object wherein the material is injected into a first mold cavity on one of the covers and rotating the cover and moving it to a second core to form a second mold cavity of a shape congruent to the first mold cavity for injecting additional material against the material previously deposited on the cover.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-stage sequentially operated injection molding apparatus having at least one rotational mold half and providing more than one stationary mold sections of congruent shape and providing progressively greater capacity mold cavities by varying dimensions of the stationary mold sections.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide the apparatus of the preceding object wherein rotational mold halves and stationary mold sections are respectively provided as mold covers and mold cores.